1

Overview of U.S. Livestock, Poultry, and Aquaculture Production in 2015 

Purpose

This document is a compilation of statistics published by the National Agricultural Statistics 

Service (NASS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Its purpose is to (1) give an 

overview of U.S. livestock, poultry, and aquaculture information for 2015, (2) compare the value 

of production for these animal commodities, and (3) show changes over time. 

Available Statistics

Official statistics for U.S. livestock, poultry, and aquaculture populations published by NASS are 

based on the Census of Agriculture conducted every 5 years (e.g., 2007 and 2012) and sample 

surveys conducted monthly, quarterly, or annually as determined by the particular commodity. 

The Census of Agriculture, which is a complete enumeration of the entire agricultural segment of 

the economy, is the only source of detailed, county-level data of all farms and ranches in all 

50 States selling or intending to sell agricultural products worth $1,000 or more in a year.

Census 2012 reports are available at: http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/.

 

The massive data-collecting, editing, and summarizing effort required to prepare the Census 

naturally results in a publication lag. Sample survey estimates and final Census reports rarely 

show exactly the same numbers. However, the ongoing sample surveys provide the most up-todate statistics between the Census years and are themselves subject to revision when current-year 

estimates are made. For these reasons, statistics in the 2012 Overview for 1 year compared with

similar statistics published for 2012 in the 2015 Overview, may not always match. 

Number of Farms

Estimates for the number of U.S. farms were based on the definition of a farm as “any 

establishment from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were sold or would be 
2

normally sold during the year.” In general, there were fewer farms in the western half of the 

United States; however, western farms and ranches were generally larger than those in the 

eastern half of the United States as reported by the 2012 Census of Agriculture (map 1). A higher 

percentage of land area in the Central United States was dedicated to land in farms. In 2015, 

there were 2.1 million farms, down slightly from 2014. Total land in farms was 912 million acres 

in 2015, which represents a decrease of 1.0 million acres from 2014. The average farm size was 

441 acres in 2015, up 3 acres from the previous year.

Map 1

Relative Magnitude of Industries, by Value of Production

The 2012 Census of Agriculture showed that the Central and Eastern States had a higher value of 

livestock and poultry compared with the Western States (map 2). In recent years, the total value 

of production has been split nearly equally between crop and livestock (and poultry) production. 

In the 2012 Census of Agriculture, 46.2 percent of total value of production came from livestock 

and poultry. The coastal areas and North Central portions of the United States generally made a 
3

smaller livestock and poultry contribution to the total market value. These areas had heavy 

concentrations of crop, fruit, and vegetable products.

Map 2

Introduction to the Livestock, Poultry, and Aquaculture Industries

According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, almost one-half of the 2.1 million farms in the 

United States had cattle and calves (913,246). (USDA defines a cattle operation as any place 

having one or more head of cattle on hand at any time during the year.) Only a small number of 

cattle operations (64,098) were dairies (milk production). There were 128,456 operations with 

goats, 88,338 operations with sheep, and 63,246 operations with hogs and pigs. Operations with 

equids are counted only if they are farms (they must have $1,000 or more of sales of agricultural 

products), and the most recent count of those, in 2012, put the number of farms with equids at 

504,795.
4

In 2015, the cattle industry had the highest value of production at roughly $59.9 billion. The 

poultry industries were the next largest commodity in the United States, with production valued 

at around $48.0 billion, followed by hogs and pigs at $19.3 billion (table 1). The value of milk 

production was about $35.9 billion, 27.6 percent lower than in 2014.

Cattle and Calves (Beef and Dairy)

The Nation’s nearly 92 million cattle and calves (beef and dairy) are dispersed widely across the 

country, with a greater concentration generally in the Central States (map 3).

Map 3

Overall, the number of cattle and calves in the United States has increased from 30.1 million in 

1869, reaching a peak at 132.0 million in 1975. From 2008 to 2014, the Nation’s inventory of 

cattle and calves saw a steady decline, but has shown 2 years of increase in 2015 and 2016, to 

92 million.
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The number of operations with cattle (or calves) has declined steadily during the past 15 years, 

from 1.2 million in 1995 to 913,246 (2012 Census of Agriculture). The overall decline is due to 

the decline in number of beef operations. The decrease in the number of cattle operations is due 

primarily to the decline in the number of operations with fewer than 50 head of cattle (data not 

shown). The number of operations is down for all size groups from 2007 to 2012 except for the 1 

to 9 group, which was up about 10,000 operations.

According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, small cattle operations (1–49 head) accounted for 

69.8 percent of all cattle operations but only 11.6 percent of the total inventory of cattle and 

calves. Large operations (1,000 or more head) accounted for just 1.2 percent of all cattle 

operations but accounted for 36.9 percent of the total U.S. inventory of cattle and calves 

(table 2).

Milk Cows—Dairy

On January 1, 2016, Wisconsin and California accounted for 32.8 percent of the U.S. milk cow 

inventory.

The U.S. population of milk cows has remained relatively stable over the last 10 years. Over the 

previous decade the number of milk cows ranged from 9.1 million to 9.3 million (data not 

shown). 

Annual milk production per cow increased from 17,763 pounds in 1999 to 22,393 pounds in 

2015, a 26-percent increase. Table 3 documents dairy production for 2014 and 2015.

Beef Cows

Beef cows are distributed widely across the United States. In general, however, States in the 

central part of the Nation have a higher number of beef cows, led by Texas (4.3 million on 

January 1, 2016). Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma each had about 1.9 million beef cows. Beef 

cows accounted for 76.5 percent of the total cow inventory on January 1, 2016.
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According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, 727,906 operations in the United States had beef 

cows. The number of operations with beef cows has declined gradually since 1996 (1 to 

2 percent per year). This decrease is most notable in the number of small operations (1–49 head)

(data not shown). 

Cattle on Feed

Cattle on feed are fed a ration of grain or other concentrate in preparation for slaughter, and the 

majority are in feedlots in States with large grain supplies.

On January 1, 2016, three States (Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas) accounted for over nearly twothirds (65.6 percent) of the inventory of cattle on feed in all feedlots with 1,000 or more capacity. 

Large numbers of cattle on feed are in relatively few feedlots; 128 feedlots (0.5 percent of all 

feedlots) accounted for 42.2 percent of the total U.S. cattle-on-feed inventory (table 5). Inventory 

numbers in feedlots typically reach high points in December, January, and February and low 

points in August and September because of the seasonal availability of grazing resources and the 

predominance of spring-born calves. As a result, commercial cattle slaughter typically reaches a 

high point in May and June. Steers and heifers accounted for 80.2 percent of 2015 federally

inspected cattle slaughter (data not shown). Of the 28.8 million head of commercially inspected 

cattle slaughter, 98.4 percent were federally inspected (table 13).

Hogs

Historically, hog production has been most common in the upper Midwest. On December 1, 

2015, Iowa, the largest hog-producing State, had 30.5 percent of the U.S. inventory of all hogs 

and pigs. During the past two decades, North Carolina has increased its production and is now 

the Nation’s second-largest hog-producing State, with 12.9 percent of the inventory. 

In the last 3 years, the number of hogs slaughtered commercially reached a low point in May or 

June, then increased until peaking in October or November in preparation for the holiday season

(fig. 1). Commercial hog slaughter totaled 115.4 million head in 2015, 8.0 percent higher than 

2014.
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The number of operations with hogs (and pigs) has declined steadily in recent years, decreasing 

from 78,895 in 2002 to 63,246 in 2012 (Census of Agriculture). The majority of hog operations 

(74.8 percent) had fewer than 100 head (2012 Census of Agriculture), but these operations 

accounted for only 0.8 percent of the inventory. 

The United States had 63,246 hog operations (2012 Census of Agriculture) with a production 

value of $24.2 billion (table 6).

Sheep and Goats

The U.S. sheep industry is located primarily in the Western and Central States. California, 

Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming accounted for 39.5 percent of the U.S. sheep and lamb inventory 

on January 1, 2016. Typically, the Western States are characterized by large range flocks, 

whereas those in the Central and Eastern States are mostly small, fenced flocks.
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The number of sheep and lambs has declined steadily since the late 1980s (10.9 million head in 

1988) with the exception of a brief peak in inventory in 1990 (11.4 million head), and again in 

2005 and 2006. However, total sheep and lamb inventory on January 1, 2016, was 5.32 million 

head, up 0.8 percent from 2015. The number of operations with sheep has declined gradually, 

from 113,640 in 1987 to 88,338 (2012 Census of Agriculture). 

Nearly one-third of the sheep and lamb inventory (29.1 percent; 2012 Census of Agriculture) is 

located on small operations (1–99 head); 92.2 percent of the 88,338 total operations had fewer 

than 100 head of sheep and lambs (table 7). Commercial sheep and lamb slaughter totaled 

2.2 million head in 2015. 

There were 2.62 million goats in the United States on January 1, 2016, which represents a 

1.1-percent decrease from the January 1, 2015, population. The largest type, by far, were meat 

and other goats (80.0 percent).

Poultry Industries

The poultry industries are economically important to the Eastern States—especially the 

Southeastern States (map 4). The value of poultry and eggs is a high percentage of the total value 

of agricultural products sold in these States. In terms of value of production, the broiler segment 

of the poultry industries dominates other segments—eggs, turkeys, and chickens (excluding 

broilers) [fig. 2]. 
9

Map 4
10

Broiler production is concentrated heavily in the Southeast, whereas layers are dispersed more 

widely over the Central and Eastern States. Turkey production is concentrated in the eastern half 

of the United States. Arkansas, Indiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina accounted for 51.0 

percent of the 233.1 million turkeys raised in 2015. 

The broiler and layer industries are characterized by a relatively small number of large 

companies. The USDA does not provide annual estimates of the number of companies or 

production sites. The value of broiler production was 59.8 percent of the $48.0 billion poultry 

industries’ production in 2015. Egg production accounted for 28.1 percent of the total value of 

production (table 8).

Hatchery statistics for 2015 include 9.32 billion broiler-type chickens hatched, 566 million eggtype chicks hatched, and 258 million poults hatched in turkey hatcheries. The collective capacity 

of the 295 chicken hatcheries on January 1, 2016, was 907 million eggs, and the capacity of the 

56 turkey hatcheries was 42.2 million eggs.

Slaughter of young chickens1 accounted for 86.9 percent of the total live weight of poultry 

slaughtered in 2015. The average live weight of young chickens slaughtered has steadily 

increased over the previous decade, ranging from 5.00 pounds in 2000 to 6.12 pounds in 2015.

Equine Industry

Statistics on the demographics of the U.S. equine industry are sparse. Equine inventory on 

farms2 is available only from the Census of Agriculture (2002, 2007, and 2012). Two additional 

surveys of the equine industry were conducted by NASS in 1998; these surveys are the only 

nonfarm estimates of inventory.

 1 Young chickens are commercially grown broilers, fryers, and other young, immature birds (e.g., roasters and 

capons).

2 For purposes of equids, a farm is defined as any operation with at least $1,000 in sales of agricultural products 

annually (the usual definition) or any operation that has at least five equids (other than commercial enterprises such 

as race tracks).
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The 2012 Census of Agriculture estimated 3.62 million horses and ponies reported on 504,795

farms and 292,590 mules, burros, and donkeys on 98,379 farms (table 9). The number of farms 

with mules, burros, and donkeys was up over 300 percent from only 29,936 in 2002. There is a 

broad and even distribution of equids across the United States.

The Census numbers do not include nonfarm equids. The only estimates of nonfarm equids are 

from 1997 and 1998. In 1997 there were an estimated 2.05 million nonfarm equids, in addition to 

the 3.14 million equids on farms, accounting for almost 39 percent of total equids. The USDA 

publishes no estimates for the number of nonfarms with equids.

Fish and Other Aquaculture Products

Catfish production in 2015 was concentrated in the Southern States, North Carolina, and 

California, with Mississippi accounting for 55.2 percent of total sales. Total foodsize catfish 

sales for 2015 were $345.0 million, which was up 3.8 percent from 2014 (table 10). Food-size 

catfish accounted for 95.5 percent of total sales.

Trout production was dispersed more widely across the United States. Idaho accounted for 

50.7 percent of total value of fish (12 inches or longer) sold in 2015, followed by North Carolina 

at 8.1 percent. The total value of trout sold, both fish and eggs, was $113.1 million in 2015—an

increase of 1.0 percent from 2014.

Honey Production

In 2015, honey production from producers with five or more colonies totaled 156.5 million 

pounds, which represents a 12.2-percent decrease from 2014 (table 11; fig. 3). The distribution of 

honey production is widespread across the United States, although North Dakota accounted for 

23.2 percent of the total production in 2015. U.S. honey prices decreased from 217.3 cents per

pound in 2014 to 209.0 cents per pound in 2015, which contributed to the decrease in the value 

of production from $387.4 million to $327.2 million. 
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Number of Livestock Slaughter Plants in the United States

On January 1, 2016, there were 808 federally inspected U.S. slaughter plants. Federally inspected 

plants are those that transport meat interstate and must employ Federal inspectors to ensure 

compliance with USDA standards. There are additional plants considered federally inspected, 

called Talmedge-Aiken plants. Although USDA is responsible for inspection in these plants, 

actual Federal inspection is carried out by State employees, who ensure that Federal regulations 

are being followed. During 2015, 641 plants slaughtered cattle (table 13), and 13 of these plants 

slaughtered 57 percent of the total cattle slaughtered. Three of the 203 plants that slaughtered 

calves accounted for 42 percent of the total, and 2 of the 518 plants that slaughtered sheep or 

lambs in 2015 produced 43 percent of the total number of head slaughtered. Hogs were 

slaughtered at 613 plants; the 13 largest plants accounted for 60 percent of the total. 
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Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas accounted for 48.7 percent of U.S. commercial red-meat 

production in 2015. Beef and pork dominated commercial red-meat production in 2015 (48.3 and 

50.6 percent, respectively). 

On January 1, 2016, there were 1,910 State-inspected or custom-exempt slaughter plants in the 

United States, compared with 1,889 such plants on January 1, 2015. State-inspected plants sell 

and transport exclusively intrastate. State inspectors ensure compliance with individual State 

standards as well as with Federal meat and poultry inspection statutes. Custom-exempt plants do 

not sell meat but operate on a custom slaughter basis only. The animals and meat are not 

federally inspected, but the facilities must meet local health requirements.
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TABLE 1: Livestock, poultry, and aquaculture statistics for 2015

Commodity

Inventory 

(1,000)

Number of 

operations1

Value of 

production 

($1,000)

All cattle 91,988.02 913,246 59,857,570

Milk cows 9,315.42 64,098 3NA

Beef cows 30,330.82 727,906 NA

Cattle on feed 13,177.02 NA

Milk from milk cows 35,910,597

Hogs and pigs 68,2994 63,246 19,283,155

Sheep and lambs (plus wool) 5,320.02 88,338 844,6885

Goats 2,6202 128,456

Poultry 6Detail NA 40,018,508

Equids 3,9147 603,1747 NA

Catfish 6Detail 1,1839 361,4588

Trout 6Detail 1,0419 104,39310

Honey 6Detail NA 327,177 1

Number of operations—any place having one or more head on hand for cattle, beef cow, milk cow, hog and pig, 

sheep and lamb, and goat and kid operations (2012 Census of Agriculture). 2

Inventory as of January 1, 2016. 3

Not available.

4

Inventory as of December 1, 2015. 5

Sales of sheep and goats and their products (2012 Census of Agriculture). 6

Detailed breakout of inventory is shown in respective tables.

7

2012 Census of Agriculture; includes mules, burros, and donkeys.

8

Catfish is published as total sales (not value of production).

9

2012 Census of Agriculture.

10Total value of fish sold excluding eggs.
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TABLE 2: Cattle and calves production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

January 1 following-year

inventory (1,000 head)

All cattle and calves 89,143.0 91,988.0

All cows 38,609.0 39,646.2

Cattle on feed 13,025.0 13,177.0

Operations with cattle and calves 913,2461

Calf crop 33,522.0 34,301.7

Deaths—cattle (1,000 head) 1,720.0 1,736.3

Death—calves (1,000 head) 2,130.0 2,143.7

Commercial calves slaughter (1,000 head)

Federally inspected 557.6 445.5

Other 8.2 7.1

Total commercial 565.8 452.6

Commercial cattle slaughter (1,000 head)

Federally inspected

Steers 15,377.5 15,331.4

Heifers 8,376.6 7,351.3

All cows 5,380.3 5,151.3

Bulls 547.8 462.4

Other 485.6 455.2

Total commercial 30,167.73 28.751.6

Farm cattle and calves slaughter 

(1,000 head)2 123.8 115.1

Total cattle and calves slaughter (1,000 head) 30,857.3 29,319.3

Value of production ($1,000) 59,921,694 59,857,570

Source: USDA–NASS. 1

2012 Census of Agriculture.

2

Farm slaughter includes animals slaughtered on farms primarily for home consumption. It excludes custom 

slaughter for farmers at commercial establishments but includes mobile slaughtering on farms.

3

Sum may not equal reported total due to rounding.
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TABLE 3: Milk cow and milk production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

January 1 following-year

inventory (1,000 head)

Milk cows 9,306.9 9,315.4

Milk replacement heifers 4,710.4 4,824.0

Operations with milk cows 64,0981

Cows slaughtered (1,000 head), 

federally inspected

Dairy cows 2,815.6 2,915.0

Other cows 2,564.7 2,236.3

All cows 5,380.3 5,151.3

Milk production

Average number of milk cows during year 

(1,000 head) 9,257 9,317

Milk production per milk cow (lb) 22,259 22,393

Milk fat per milk cow (lb) 832 837

Percentage of fat 3.74 3.74

Total milk production (million lb) 206,054 208,633

Value of milk production ($1,000) 49,589,494 35,910,597

Source: USDA–NASS. 1

2012 Census of Agriculture.
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TABLE 4: Beef cow production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

January 1 following-year

inventory (1,000 head)

Beef cows 29,302.1 30,330.8

Beef replacement heifers 6,086.4 6,285.2

Operations with beef cows 727,9061

Cows slaughtered (1,000 head), 

federally inspected

Dairy cows 2,815.6 2,915.0

Other cows 2,564.7 2,236.3

All cows 5,380.3 5,151.3

Source: USDA–NASS. 1

2012 Census of Agriculture.
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TABLE 5: Cattle-on-feed production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

January 1 following-year

inventory (1,000 head) for all lots 13,025.0 13,177.0

January 1 following-year inventory 

(1,000 head) for lots 1,000+ capacity

Steers and steer calves 6,948 7,164

Heifers and heifer calves 3,678 3,411

Total 10,626 10,575

Feedlot capacity 

(head)

Number 

of feedlots 

2014 Pct.

January 1, 

2016, 

inventory 

(1,000 

head) Pct.

Marketed 

(1,000 head)

2014 Pct.

<1,000 25,000 91.9 2,602.0 19.7 2,895.0 12.8

1,000–1,999 820 3.0 355 2.7 650 2.9

2,000–3,999 580 2.1 660 5.0 1,230 5.5

4,000–7,999 340 1.3 900 6.8 1,740 7.7

8,000–15,999 180 0.7 1,210 9.2 2,250 10.0

16,000–31,999 141 0.5 1,890 14.3 3,430 15.2

≥ 32,000 128 0.5 5,560 42.2 10,360 45.9

All feedlots 27,189 100.0 13,177 100.01 22,555 100.0

Source: USDA–NASS. 1

Sum may not equal reported total due to rounding.
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TABLE 6: Hog and pig production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

December 1 inventory (1,000 head)

Breeding 5,939 6,002

Market 61,838 62,297

All hogs and pigs 67,7761 68,299

Operations with hogs and pigs 63,2462

Pig crop (1,000 head)

December–November3 114,856 120,834

Pigs per litter

December–November3 9.94 10.38

Deaths (1,000 head) 9,887.8 10,060.8

Slaughter (1,000 head)

Federally inspected

Barrows and gilts 102,997.7 111,487.9

Sows 2,787.5 2,851.5

Boars 337.3 276.1

Other 753.2 809.7

Total commercial 106,875.7 115,425.2

Farm slaughter 82.0 87.0

Total slaughter 106,957.7 115,512.2

Value of production ($1,000) 24,221,588 19,283,155

Source: USDA–NASS. 1

Sum may not equal reported total due to rounding.

2

2012 Census of Agriculture.

3

December of the preceding year.
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TABLE 7: Sheep and goat production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

January 1 following-year 

sheep inventory (1,000 head)

Breeding sheep and lambs 3,935.0 3,965.0

Replacement lambs under 1 year old 650.0 665.0

Ewes 1 year old and older 3,110.0 3,125.0

Rams 1 year old and older 175.0 175.0

Market 1,345.0 1,355.0

All sheep and lambs 5,280.0 5,320.0

Operations with sheep 88,3381

Lamb crop (1,000 head) 3,440.0 3,440.0

Deaths—sheep (1,000 head) 220 230

Deaths—lambs (1,000 head) 365 375

Slaughter (1,000 head)

Federally inspected

Mature sheep 136.3 113.3

Lambs 1,968.2 1,885.1

Other 205.1 225.1

Total commercial 2,309.72 2223.5

Farm slaughter 94.5 95.1

Total slaughter 2,404.2 2,318.6

Wool production

Sheep shorn (1,000 head) 3,680 3,680

Shorn wool production (1,000 lb) 26,680 27,050

Value of wool production ($1,000) 38,909 39.298 1

2012 Census of Agriculture.

2

Sum may not equal reported total due to rounding.
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2014 2015

January 1 following-year goat

inventory (1,000 head)

All

Angora 160 150

Milk 365 375

Meat and other 2,125 2,095

All 2,650 2,620

Does, 1 year old and older

Angora 110 104

Milk 236 241

Meat and other 1,289 1,263

All 1,635 1,608

Bucks

Angora 8 7

Milk 24 24

Meat and other 132 132

All goats 164 163

Kid crop

Angora 84 79

Milk 275 278

Meat and other 1,355 1,320

All 1,714 1,677

Operations with goats1

Angora 9,479

Milk 29,570

Meat and other 100,910

All2 128.456

Source: USDA–NASS. 1

Census of Agriculture.

2

Sum may not equal reported total due to rounding.
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TABLE 8: Poultry production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

December 1 average layers during the year 

(1,000 head) 364,707 349,565

Eggs per layer 277 276

Total egg production (million eggs) 100,879 96,437

Number of broilers produced (1,000 head) 8,545,000 8,686,600

Number of turkeys raised (1,000 head) 237,500 233,100

Number slaughtered (1,000 head)

Chickens—young 8,525,393 8,688,465

Chickens—mature 144,235 134,230

Chickens—total 8,669,628 8,822,695

Turkeys—young 235,189 230,821

Turkeys—old 1,428 1,577

Turkeys—total 236,617 232,398

Ducks 26,368 27,749

Value of production ($1,000)

Broilers 32,728,234 28,709,834

Eggs 10,257,972 13,499,904

Turkeys 5,304,501 5,707,871

Chickens (value of sales) 96,151 100,899

Total 48,386,858 48,018,508

Source: USDA–NASS.
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TABLE 9: Equine inventory, 2002, 2007, and 2012

2002 2007 2012

January 1 following-year inventory 

(1,000 head)

All equids on farms 3,749 4,313 3,914

Horses and ponies 3,644 4,029 3,621

Mules, burros, and donkeys 105 284 293

Number farms 

With horses and ponies 542,223 575,942 504,795

With mules, burros, and donkeys 29,936 99,746 98,379

Source: USDA–NASS, 2002, 2007, and 2012 Census of Agriculture.
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TABLE 10: Catfish and trout production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

Catfish

Number of fish on January 1, following year (1,000)

Foodsize 150,120 150,145

Stockers 248,790 204,800

Fingerlings 449,510 328,570

Broodfish 580 520

Number of operations on January 1,

following year

1,1831

(sold or distributed)

Sales ($1,000)

Foodsize 332,382 345,033

Stockers 8,922 8,198

Fingerlings 10,275 7,692

Broodfish 361 535

Total sales 351,940 361,458

Trout

Number of fish (1,000)

≥12 inches 48,285 45,350

6–12 inches 5,165 4,900

1–6 inches 8,350 8,470

Sales ($1,000)

≥12 inches 95,741 96,437

6–12 inches 5,858 6,422

1–6 inches 1,617 1,534

Total sales (excluding eggs) 103,216 104,393

Eggs sold

Number of eggs (1,000) 427,125 431,475

Total sales ($1,000) 8,774 8,706

Total value of fish sold including eggs 

($1,000) 111,990 113,099

Number of operations selling or

distributing trout,2 or both 1,0411

Source: USDA–NASS. 1

2012 Census of Agriculture; December 31, 2012. 2

Trout distributed for restoration, conservation, or recreational purposes.
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TABLE 11: Honey* production, 2014 and 2015

2014 2015

Honey-producing colonies (1,000) 2,740 2,660

Yield per colony (lb) 65.1 58.9

Production (1,000 lb) 178,270 156,544

Stocks on December 15 (1,000 lb) 41,192 42,203

Value of production ($1,000) 387,381 327,177

Source: USDA–NASS.

*For producers with five or more colonies.
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TABLE 12: Production data on miscellaneous livestock, 2012

Commodity

Number of 

farms Inventory Number sold

Alpacas 9,353 140,601 14,978

Bison 2,564 162,110 57,335

Deer 4,042 231,431 36,218

Ducks 21,115 5,018,661 23,180,663

Elk 1,199 38,061 6,913

Emus 1,550 13,281 3,064

Geese 10,286 106,462 201,548

Llamas 15,296 76,086 5,514

Mules, burros, donkeys 98,379 292,590 34,470

Ostriches 258 6,540 3,141

Pheasants 2,322 2,436,570 7,944,207

Pigeons 2,149 415,365 1,115,218

Quail 2,310 6,304,956 27,130,545

Rabbits 13,420 400,049 852,837

Roosters 13,399 7,564,783 8,354,819

Source: USDA–NASS 2012 Census of Agriculture.
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TABLE 13: Slaughter statistics, 2015

Commodity

Federally 

inspected 

plants (no.)

Slaughter in 

federally inspected 

plants (1,000 head)*

Slaughter in Stateinspected or 

custom-exempt 

plants (1,000 head)

Cattle 641 28,296.4 455.2

Calves 203 445.5 7.1

Hogs 613 114,615.5 809.7

Sheep and lambs 518 1,998.4 225.1

Goats 426 441.3 149.4

Bison 93 51.9 8.8

Source: USDA–NASS Livestock Slaughter 2015 Summary, April 2016.

*Includes data for the calendar year.